Wire tightener or puller



Aug. 7, 1934.

D. H. HAYDEN WIRE TIGHTENER OR FULLER Original Filed Oct. 21, 1927 Patented Aug. 7, 1934 WIRE TIGHTENER 0R PULLER David H. Hayden, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 21, 1927, Serial No. 227,682 Renewed October 26, 1933 10 Claims.

The invention relates to tighteners or pullers for wire ties and the like, and seeks to provide a simple device of stout construction which can be readily and effectively used for tightening wire i ties, such, for example, as are used in concrete forms. More particularly, the invention seeks to provide an effective tool for tightening or pulling such wire ties as are shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,733,686 issued to me October 29, 1929. The improved tightener or puller comprises two jaw members having a limited relative movement for gripping the wire and a shoe that is adapted to abut against the part through which the wire is drawn and upon which the jaw members are movably mounted or fulcrumed to swing together in tightening the wire. These and other features of the invention. are hereinafter more fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved tool.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view with the jaw members in position for engaging the tie wire' or wires.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2, and certain portions shown in section.

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the parts shifted to tighten the wire.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The improved tool comprises jaw members a and b, so connected as to have a limited relative movement to grip the wire, and a shoe or abutment member 0 whereon the jaw members are fulcrumed 0r pivoted to swing together in tightening or pulling the wire. The jaw member a, and preferably also the shoe member 6, have operating handles or levers a and c. The end of the shoe c is bifurcated to form projecting portions 10, and is also provided with upwardly projecting ears 11 and witha web-like part 12 extending between the sections 10. A pivot pin 13 extending through the ears 11 and the jaw member b constitutes the fulcrum upon which the jaw members swing in tightening the wire.

If desired, the jaw member a could also be mounted on the fulcrum pin 13, but in the preferred construction it is connected by a pivot 'pin 14 to one end of a'link 15, the other end of which engages the pivot pin 13, and which link is preferably formed integral with the part or jaw member I).

The tool in its preferred form isparticularly adapted for tightening or pulling ties such 'as shown in the above-notedpatent.1 Each of such ties comprisestwo wires d,the ends of which ex-' tend through a slot in a collar ethat is adapted to abut against a part i of the form structure, or against an interposed washer 9. For engaging both of the wires of such a tie, the jaw member a is forked or bifurcated at its end, and the 60. bifurcated sections are provided with wire-gripping portions 16 on opposite sides of the link 15, the latter extending, as shown, between the bifurcations of the jaw a and being connected thereto by the pivot pin 14 which extends through such sections. Similarly, the jaw member b has two wire-gripping sections 17 on opposite sides of the inner end of the link, and preferably, as shown, the wire-engaging portions or seats thereof are substantially concentric with the pivot pin 13. The sections 17 are formed integral with the link 15 and these parts in effect form a single member in the preferred construction. One of the bifurcations or sections 10 of the shoe 0 is provided with an inwardly projecting 75. lug 18, which, when the jaw members are swung from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3, is arranged to engage the jaw member a and arrest the further movement of the link member 15. This action of the stop lug 18 is effected when the jaw member a reaches the dotand-dash position shown in Fig. 3. Then the continued movement of the jaw member a about the pivot pin 14 separates the wire-engaging portions of the jaws so that the tool may be readily engaged with the projecting ends of the wires d. The relative movement of the wire-engaging seats of the jaw members together and apart is slight, and this movement is limited by the cooperating stop surfaces 19 and 20 on the end of the link member and at the bottom of thebifurcation or slot in the jaw member a. r i t In operation, afterthe tie wires d are placed in position and a washer g and collar 6 placed thereon, the jaw members a and b are opened by swinging the hand lever a from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2. The tool may then be readily placed in position with the shoe or fulcrum member 0 resting upon the outer face of the collar e and the wires extending between the pairs of gripping faces or wire engaging seats 16 and 17. To facilitate the placing of the tool upon the pair of wires, the mid-section of the link member 15 is preferably beveled as shown in Fig. 5. Then when the hand lever a is swung in the opposite direction, its initial movement from the position shown in full lines to that shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 3 will effect a relative movement between the jaw members to effectively grip the wires, and the continued movement of the hand lever to the position shown in Fig. 4 will effectively tighten the wires. In this tightening operation, the wires are bent over the curved surfaces 1? of the jaw member I), which, as stated, are substantially concentric with the fulcrum or pivot pin 13 about which the jaw members swing in tightening the wire. That is to say, the wire-engaging surfaces or seats of the jaw member I), over which the wires are bent as they are tightened, are maintained substantially tangent to the main lengths of the wires, so that the latter are tightened. by a substantially straight line pull. In this tightening operation, the jaw members are moved. out of the way so that a wedge can be driven through the slot of the collar e to secure the wires to the collar, as set forth in the prior patent above noted. Also, in tightening the wires, the shoe 0 is pressed against the collar 6 so that the latter. is forced snugly to proper position. When the tightened wires are thus secured, the tool may be readily disengaged by a slight reverse movement of the handle a and then turning the tool to one side.

Preferably the gripping faces 16 of the jaw member a are toothed and .the curved gripping faces 17 of the jaw member I; are plain.

In case a single forward movement of the jaw members is not suilicient to properly tighten the wires, the hand lever a can be moved in reverse direction to initially loosen the grip, and then, since the surface of thejaw member b is substantially concentric with the pivot about which the jaws swing, the jaw members can be moved backwardly relative to the wire as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Then by again moving the hand lever a forwardly, the jaws will take a new grip on the wires and the latter will be further tightened. This operation can be repeated until any degree of slack in the wires is taken up. In other words,'the tool can be operated with a sort of ratchet action to properly tension the wires.

The arrangement by which the hand lever a can be moved forwardly and back to repeatedly take fresh grips on the wires, is of particular advantage when the tool is used,'as it may be, to withdraw the tie wires from the concrete after the latter has set. When the hand lever a is employed to tighten or pull the wire, a thrust is developed upon the shoe 0 which tends to' displace it, but inasmuch as the shoe is provided with a hand lever c of substantially the same length as the operating hand lever a, pressure .can be brought to bear upon the hand lever c to counterbalance this thrust.

Preferably, as an aid in initially positioning the tool, as shown in Fig. 3, the end of the abutment 12 is preferably tangent to the curved wire-engaging surfaces 17 of the jaw member b. Ihe lug 21 on the handle 0 which fits in a corresponding recess in the handled, is for the purpose of supporting the tool in convenient position on the workmans belt.

Changes may be made in the details set forth without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tightener or puller for wire ties and the like, comprising a shoe and a jaw member having operating hand levers rigid respectively therewith, a relativelyshort link pivotally connected at its ends to said jaw member and said shoe and a second jaw member having a wire-engaging seat substantially concentric with the pivotal connection between said link and said shoe,

said first mentioned jaw member and said link having means limiting the relative movement thereof and the opening and closing movements of the jaw members.

2. A tighten-er or puller for double wire ties, a shoe and a jaw member each having a rigid operating handle, said jaw member being bifurcated and having wire-gripping seats on its bifurcations, a link extending between the bifurcations of said jaw member and pivotally connected at one end thereto, said link being pivoted at the opposite end to said shoe, and gripping means on opposite sides of said link having wire-engaging seats substantially concentric with the pivotal connection between said link and said shoe and said link and jaw member having cooperating shoulders to limit the gripping releasing movements of the jaw member and insure the swinging of the link in opposite direction with the jaw member.

3. A tightener or puller for wire ties and the like, comprising a shoe having a rigid operating handle, a jaw member and link pivotally mounted on said a second jaw member pivoted to said link, the latter and the second jaw member having stop shoulders for limiting the relative movements thereof in opposite directions, and said second jaw member having a rigid operating hand lever for effecting the limited movements thereof relatively to said link to open and close the jaw members and for swinging said second jaw member and link together in opposite directions relatively to the shoe.

4. A tightener or pulier for wire ties comprising jaw members having a limited relative movement to grip and release the wire tie, and a shoe adapted to abut against the part through which the wire is drawn and upon which the jaw members are mounted to swing together about a common fulcrum, one of said jaw members having an operating hand lever rigid with respect thereto for effecting the relative gripping and releasing movement of the jaw members and for swinging the same relatively to the shoe, and the other jaw member having a curved wireengaging seat which is concentric with said fulcrum and remains tangent to the main length of the wire as the latter is tightened, substantially as described.

5. A tightener or puller for wire ties comprising jaw members having limited relative movements to grip and release the wire tie, and a shoe upon which the jaw members are pivotally mounted to swing together about a common fulcrum, one of the jaw members and said shoe having operating hand levers rigid respectively therewith and relatively movable to open and close the jaw members and swing the same together in opposite directions relative to the shoe. 6. A tightenerv or puller for wire ties comprising pivotally connected jaw members having a limited relative movement for gripping and releasing the wire tie and a shoe on which the jaw members are pivotally mounted to swing together about a common fulcrum, the shoe and one of said jaw members having operating hand levers rigid respectively therewith and relatively movable to effect the gripping and releasing movements of the jaw members and to swing the same together relatively to the shoe, and the other of said jaw members having a curved wire-engaging seat substantially concentric with the pivotal connection with said shoe.

7. A tightener for wire ties comprising pivotal- 1y connected jaw members and a shoe upon which one of said jaw members is pivotally mounted, the other of said jaw members and said shoe having operating hand levers rigid respectively therewith, and said jaw members having cooperating shoulders for limiting the opening and closing movements thereof and for compelling the movement of both of said jaw members in opposite directions relatively to the shoe as said hand levers are moved together and apart.

8. A wire tightener or puller comprising a pair of hand levers, one terminating in a bifurcated jaw member and the other in a bifurcated shoe, a link having its ends disposed respectively between the bifurcations of said jaw member and shoe and pivotally connected thereto, and gripping parts on opposite sides of said link and between the bifurcations of said shoe and adapted to cooperate with said bifurcated jaw member, said link and jaw member having cooperating shoulders for limiting the gripping and releasing movements of the jaw member and for compelling the link and jaw member to swing together in opposite directions relatively to the shoe.

9. A tightener or puller for wire ties and the like, comprising a fulcrum member, a jaw memher, said fulcrum and jaw members each having an operating handle rigid with respect thereto, and a relatively short link pivotally connected at its ends to said jawmember and said fulcrum member and forming a second jaw member, the said jaw members having means for limiting the opening and closing movements thereof and. being opened and closed and swung together in opposite directions relative to the fulcrum member by the relative movements of said handles.

10. A wire tightening or pulling tool comprising a pair of hand levers, one terminating in a bifurcated shoe and the other in a bifurcated jaw member having wire engaging seats on its bifurcations, a relatively short link having its ends disposed respectively between the bifurcations of said jaw member and said shoe and pivotally connected thereto, said link forming a second jaw member and having wire engaging seats on its opposite sides adjacent its pivotal connection with said shoe and adapted to cooperate with the wire engaging seats of said bifurcated jaw member, said jaw members having cooperating shoulders for limiting the gripping and releasing movements thereof and being opened and closed and swung together in opposite directions with respect to the shoe by the relative movements of said hand levers, substantially as described.

DAVID H. HAYDEN. 

